EnerG2 Announces Effort Designed to Help Broaden Ultracapacitor Market in Japan

Published on August 28, 2009 at 7:29 PM

EnerG2, a Seattle-based
company focused on introducing advanced nano-structured materials for next-generation
energy storage breakthroughs, today announced an effort designed to help broaden
the ultracapacitor market in Japan.

The company’s commitment to Japan caps what has been a very productive
year. Over the past 12 months, EnerG2 has raised a total of $11 million in financing
from established cleantech investors – including OVP Venture Partners,
Firelake Capital Management, Yaletown Venture Partners and WRF Capital. And
earlier this month, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) awarded EnerG2
$21.3 million in Federal stimulus funds allocated for makers of advanced automotive
batteries and energy storage technologies.

EnerG2 was one of just two venture-backed energy storage companies to receive
DOE funding; the other company was A123 Systems. EnerG2 will use the DOE funds
to help build a facility in the U.S. Pacific Northwest that will be the first
in the world dedicated to the commercial-scale production of nano-engineered
synthetic high-performance carbon electrode material. This material is the most
important ingredient in ultracapacitor energy storage devices, which are used
in next generation green cars.

Japanese Demand for State-of-the-Art Energy Storage

Japan is focused on energy storage solutions for the green car market, but
it is also aggressively pursuing cutting-edge energy storage in the industrial
sector, including forklifts, cranes, power shovels, rail and uninterruptible
power supplies.

The Japanese demand for fresh approaches to energy storage follows an urgent
request last year by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry that more research
and more science be poured into revolutionary energy storage technologies with
completely new ideas and materials.

One of the reasons for the urgency surrounding energy storage is the Japanese
commitment to reduce greenhouse gases. A number of Japanese companies are already
doing their part. For example, Komatsu’s PC200-8 Hybrid power shovel uses
ultracapacitor modules to store the energy generated by the decelerations of
its rotation. Komatsu has calculated that if all the power shovels in Japan
were replaced by the PC200-8 Hybrid, carbon emissions would be reduced by 370,000
tons annually.

EnerG2, which conservatively estimates that the ultracapacitor market in Japan
could exceed $700 million by 2012, will travel to Japan at the end of August
to visit customers and device manufacturers as well as scientists. The company
is working to establish a long-term customer support presence in the country.

“The new energy economy is accelerating, and it’s clearly global
in scale,” said Rick Luebbe, CEO of EnerG2. “We’re building
a facility in Oregon designed to serve a global commercial network that will
extend to the industrial hubs of Japan and beyond. Looking forward, we’re
committed to helping the next wave of clean technology. For example, we will
help clean transportation become a reality on every continent, and we’re
confident that our materials will improve these vehicles’ efficiency,
range and affordability.”

High-Performance Materials Will Further Expand the Definition of Energy
Storage

The focus of EnerG2 and DOE on ultracapacitors shows a growing movement to
expand the definition of energy storage.

Professor Youichi Hori, professor of the University of Tokyo, IEEE Fellow,
head of Industry Applications of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan,
and chairman of Capacitors Forum, agrees, stating: “Japan has bet on lithium
ion batteries as a nation. However, that bet might be wrong. I urge them to
reconsider it by seeing this movement."

A number of global players in the new energy economy are already reconsidering
the future of energy storage, and they’re including a variety of technologies
like ultracapacitors in their thinking. Ultracapacitors store and release more
energy faster than conventional batteries. The size and make-up of the electrodes’
surface area helps ultracapacitors store and supply large amount of energy more
quickly; the materials also effectively enable limitless cycle life for the
device.

EnerG2’s state-of-the-art electrode can enhance energy and power density
in ultracapacitors. Through a precise control of the materials’ structure,
EnerG2 can customize its products to maximize performance. For example, the
demand for power performance in energy storage for the automotive sector can
be met with a tailored carbon electrode material from EnerG2.

In the not-too-distant future, ultracapacitors containing EnerG2 materials
will be increasingly embraced by the global automotive industry for next-generation
green vehicles; by electronics manufacturers around the world for enhancing
the life and usability of consumer goods; and by a variety of industrial customers.